Indicator



1943 P. w. MARKwooD 2,447,584

INDICATOR Filed Sept. 24, 1945 DOFFQ 5TAET [ST PACKAGE 3 PACKAGES 6' GQal/P-S' DOFF & START [5T PACKAGE TIE 51/1 Pm. 01v 4 71/ Pm 8 MOVE TIE 2ND PACKAGE DIAL 015 mm 0N lsr PACKAGE v -1v ale/1mm; m 3 {4 ,DOFF

s PACKAGE) 8 GRUUPJ 7 5 3RD PACKAGE 0" END PfiCKlGE INVENTOR Paul/lM/zzfiwaod g; I NEY Patented Aug. 24, 1948 INDICATOR Paul W. Markwood, Enka, N. 0., assignor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. 0., a corporation of Delaware Application September 24, 1945, Serial No. 618,275

4 @laims.

The present invention relates to an operations directing device adapted for use in various branches of the textile industry, and more particularly relates to a device for directing the sequence of servicing cones during coning operations in rayon manufacturing plants.

The current practice of marketing rayon yarns involves the delivery of a large percentage thereof in the form of cones to weavers for warping and cop-winding, as well as to knitters. These cones, as they are known in the rayon industry, are of frusto-eonical shape, usually having a taper of about 3 30'. Rayon packages, such as cakes and bobbins, that have been processed and dried, provide the source for the cones, and the rayon is wrapped around the cone cores which are mounted on spindles on cone-winding machines to initiate the cone-Winding operation. Each of these machines contains a plurality of spindles mounted on a bed extending the length of the assembly. Each cone is capable of accommodating the rayon from a plurality of supply p c es.

The number of coning spindles assigned to an operator is determined by the length of time involved to unwind a plurality of supply packages onto a cone of predetermined weight. The number of packages per cone will depend .on the weight per package and the finished weight of the cone. Usually a whole number of supply packages is desirable for each cone. i. e., it is preferable to wind several complete packages onto one cone rather than several packages plus a fraction of a package.

In this system of operation, the number of supply packages per cone determines the number of groups in one operators assignment of spindles. For example, three supply packages per cone is divided into six groups; five packages per cone is divided into eight groups, etc. If an operator is assigned a total of ninety-six spindles and each finished cone will contain five supply packages, then the full ninety-six spindles will be ninetysix divided by eight or twelve spindles per group, or in the case of six groups there would be sixteen spindles per group.

When a package becomes completely wound on its cone, it is necessary to tie a new package to its end. In order to obtain maximum operator and machine efficiency these groups are started and serviced, one by one in a definite sequence. The first supply package wound onto the cone has the longest running time and the last package the shortest running time. Therefore, the arrangement of tying and servicing the various groups follows a definite order. The present invention is directed to a disc that is designed to direct the order of serving and tying up.

As thus described, it will be apparent that the rayon on the several cones Will require servicing and tying at various separate times, and that an operator working continuously must tie new packages on the proper cones in one group at the proper time, lest another group of cones be neglected, necessitating a general shut-down of the assembly to put operations back on schedule. For that reason a definite sequence must be followed.

It is difficult to remember this sequence, especially for new operators, and accordingly errors are often made with resultant inefiicient operation of the coning machine. It is to prevent this inefficiency and to assure the tying of various packages to the correct individual cones that the present operations guide has been developed.

In its broadest aspects, the invention comprises an operations directing guide for directing rayon coning operations, the said guide having a plurality of relatively moving members bearing indicia indicating the sequence of servicing and tying operations.

It is the object of the invention to provide a device suitable for facilitating the following of a predetermined schedule of operations by textile employees, the device bein of such nature that it may be kept in constant use or employed temporarily for the purpose of training new and unskilled help.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein.

Figure 1 is a front lan view of the directing guide as used for six groups of cones having sixteen spindles per group and three supply packages per cone;

Figure 2 is a rear plan view of the directing guide as used for eight groups of cones having twelve spindles per group and five supply packages per cone; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, the operations directing guide, when used by an operator servicing ninety-six spindles composed of six groups (sixteen spindles per group) and each cone being built up from three supply packages, comprises a dial I0 bearing a circularly arranged group indicia ll numbering 1 to 6, correspondin to the number of groups to be serviced.

A disk chart I2 bearing instruction indicia I3 is rotatably mounted on the dial It by means of a rivet M, notches lZa being provided in the disc chart i2 to facilitate rotation thereof by the operator.

The instruction indicia [2 are in a sequence, beginning with the phrase Dofi and start 1st package as indicated at l5. The word dofi refers to the operation of removing a cone from a spindle when that cone has been wound with the required amount of rayon. Therefore, the device is set in accordance with the positions of the disc chart l2 and dial l9, and as shown in Figure 1, the instructions at It indicate to the operator that he should go to group I in acccrdance with indicia 1 on dial l0, and doff or remove the sixteen full cones in that group. After removing the full cones, sixteen cone cores are placed on their respective spindles in this group and the :iirst supply packages are threaded up on each of the cores. The cone-winding operation is then initiated.

The operator next refers to disc chart l2 and notes arrow l6 pointing from group I to group 3, and accordingly goes to group 3, where he follows instruction H as shown on chart l2, namely, he ties the third supply package onto the substantially completely exhausted second package at each of the respective sixteen spindles.

In the same manner arrow it indicates to the operator that his next step is to proceed to group and carry out the instructions specifically shown at l9, i. e., he ties the second group of supply packages to the first group of packages almost unwound, at the sixteen respective spindles.

The other instruction shown at l9 indicates to the operator that he is to move the disc chart i2 to the right one position as indicated by semicircular arrow 23 so that arrow it! now points away from group 2. The operator then proceeds to group 2, as that is the point indicated by instructions iii, to next doff. It will be seen that an entirely new sequence of groups is thus introduced, but the same procedure is adopted as was carried out during the first three steps, namely, instructions I5, I? and ii! are again carried out. After each set of steps as provided by said instructions are finished, the chart I2 is turned to the right, one position.

The rear view of the device as shown in Figure 2 has indicia on its disc chart 23 and dial it similar to that on its face illustrated at Figure 1, except that the procedure indicated is for use where there are eight groups of twelve spindles each and each cone is built up from five supply packages. The eight groups designated are on the reverse face of dial it) from the face designating six groups. It will be seen that five arrows '2! are needed in addition to a semi-circular arrow 22 which indicates the direction in which the disc chart 23 is to be turned. The disc chart 23 is also provided with notches 23a to assist the operator in turning it.

It has been shown that the operations directing guide described will prevent errors resulting from the inability of operators to remember the sequence of operations in rayon coning and manufacture, and that costly time losses will be prevented by its use.

It will be understood that the foregoing description of the operations directing guide is not to be considered as a limiting factor but is primarily for the purpose of enabling others to practice the invention, and that certain variations in the indicia may be adopted without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Educational apparatus for guiding a machine operator through a plurality of cyclic operations, each cycle including a plurality of sequential steps, each of which steps must be performed in sequence on each of a number of machines greater th-an the number of steps in a cycle, said apparatus comprising means bearing a symbol representing each of the machines under the control of an operator, means bearing symbols indicating each of the steps of the cycle and the order of their performance, and means mounting said symbol bearing means for relative movement from a position where each step symbol registers with a separate machine symbol to successive positions where every step symbol registers with a diiierent machine symbol where by the operator is guided to perform the sequential steps of the cycle on each of the machines.

2. Educational apparatus for guiding a machine operator through a plurality of cyclic operations, each cycle including a plurality of sequential steps, each of which must be performed on each of a number of machines greater than the number of steps in a cycle, said apparatus comprising a dial bearing symbols indicating each of the machines under the control of an operator, a disc bearing symbols indicating each of the steps of the cycle, and the order of their performance, and means mounting said dial and said disc for relative rotation irom a position where each. disc symbol registers with a separate dial symbol to successive positions where every disc symbol registers with a different dial symbol whereby the operator is guided to perform the sequential steps of a cycle on each of a number of machines.

3. Educational apparatus for guiding a machine operator through a plurality of cyclic winding operations, each cycle including the steps of doffing, and tying, more than once during the Winding period to maintain a continuous thread to be wound, each of said steps being performed at a number of groups of winding stations in excess of the number of steps to a cycle, said apparatus comprising a dial provided with marginal symbols representing each group of winding stations under the control of an operator, a disc coaxially mounted on said dial and rotatable with respect thereto, the margins of said disc registering with symbols, indicia on said disc indicating the various operations constituting a cycle, said indicia being circumferentially spaced to register simultaneously with a number of symbols corresponding to the number of operations in each cycle, said indicia including sequence information, whereby each sequential step of the cycle is performed at a different group of winding stations and after completion of the cycle is repeated with respect to other groups of winding stations by turning the dial an angular distance equal to the spacing between adjacent symbols.

4. An operations directing guide for guiding a machine operator through a plurality of winding operations, to maintain a continuous thread to be wound, said operations being performed at a number of groups of winding stations, said apparatus comprising a dial provided with marginal symbols representing each group of winding stations under the control of an operator,

5 a disc coaxially mounted on said dial and rotatable with respect thereto, the margins of said disc registering with said symbols, indicia on said disc indicating the various operations constituting a cycle, said indicia being circumferentially spaced to register simultaneously with a number of symbols corresponding to the number of operations in each cycle, said indicia including sequence information, whereby each sequential step of the cycle is performed at a difierent group of winding stations and after completion of the cycle is repeated with respect to other groups of winding stations by turning the dial an angular distance equal to the spacing between adjacent symbols and conducting the sequence of steps at the w nding stations then indicated in the order directed.

PAUL W. MARKWOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

